I didn't mean to tell this story, but I feel I have to. Two days before I went to
Wikimania 2008 I heard on the news about a warning on behalf of the Israeli authorities
for Israeli citizens not to visit Egypt due to risk of kidnapping and attacks. I looked up
the number of this government office and told them there was an important international
conference in Alexandria and urged them to publish more details about how Israelis can get
there safely. It was obvious that this government office didn't know about Wikimania.
They told me that there were specific alerts, but going by plane, rather than by land,
would be safe. I also called the Israeli embassy in Cairo. They told me things were not as
bad as they might have sounded in the news, but recommended going by plane from Tel Aviv
to Cairo. I spread the news among local Wikimedians. Those who planned to go, told me they
would go by land anyway and so we crossed the border two days later. All went perfectly
fine and we felt safe. While in Alexandria I received a phone call from the Israeli radio
asking to interview me about my experience. I was interviewed twice - to the Hebrew and
Arabic departments.
I honestly don't expect anyone to do things which might involve risk of any kind - if
someone think that visiting Israel might be harmful for him/her due to political, social
or any other reason - I respect that. If someone think s/he should avoid visiting Israel
due to his political views - I can't help that. It is his/her right to choose his
political views and act accordingly, whether I like it or not. All I am asking is to be
fair, respect the effort done by fellow Wikimedians, and especially not to spread false
information.
Dror K
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